Andorra - Government Profile May 27, 2008
Vives i Sicilia, the Catholic bishop to the Catalan city La Seu d'Urgell, assumed his position on May 12, 2003, and is personally represented by Nemesi Marques i Oste. The head of government is the Executive Council President, elected by the General Council and appointed by the co-princes for a four year term. (Suite101.com)
Little voiceWhy San Marino chose to climb onto the Eurovision stage May 20, 2008
Even the small Pyrenean nation, which used to insist on performing in Catalan, has plumped for a Euro-friendly disco tune in English this year. The Sanmarinese are upbeat about their chances of success, while the bookmakers give them only a 100/1 chance of qualifying from their semi-final berth, and Eurovision fans' reaction has been very mixed. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Wine heresy? French vintners flirt with screw tops May 14, 2008
The pink butterfly embedded in the bottle of Fruite Catalan has helped make Vignerons Catalans en Roussillon three groups of producers who together created the brand an export hit. Their wine also is winning awards at home. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
Yes we Cannes! Indiana Jones meets "Blindness" May 14, 2008
There's "Birdsong," apparently a Nativity story by the terrific Catalan minimalist Albert Serra ( aka "Honor of the Knights"), and there's the thriller "Four Nights With Anna," the first new movie from Polish actor-director Jerzy Skolimowski ("Deep End") in almost two decades. Argentine director Lisandro Alonso, who made the spooky, hypnotic jungle odyssey is back with another enigmatic-homecoming yarn called "Liverpool.". (Salon)
Miró: Driven by abstraction but tied to the Catalan soil Apr 18, 2008
Driven by abstraction but tied to the Catalan soil - International Herald Tribune ... Driven by abstraction but tied to the Catalan soil ... said and wrote that the artist himself saw this communion with the Catalan soil and soul as fundamental to his output. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Spanish cave yields remains of a human ancestor Mar 27, 2008
The discovery is described in the current issue of the journal Nature by a team of Spanish and American scientists led by Eudald Carbonell of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleontology and Social Evolution at Tarragona, Spain. The scientists, noting that the earliest presence of human ancestors in Europe is "one of the most debated topics in paleoanthropology," said the site of Sima del Elefante in the Atapuerca Mountains held the "oldest, most accurately dated record" of both fossils and... (International Herald Tribune)
Hard times fall in the valleys of Andorra Mar 25, 2008
Andorrans speak Catalan, the language of northeastern Spain, but also some French, and subsisted in years past by raising grains, cattle and, until recently, tobacco. Andorran cuisine was an oxymoron. (International Herald Tribune)
Spain's Muslims face dearth of mosques Mar 17, 2008
"A proper mosque would act as a focus, a reference point for Islam here," said Mohammed Halhoul, spokesman for the Catalan Islamic Council ... "I feel like a Catalan," Halhoul added, "except when it comes to the question of the mosque.". (International Herald Tribune)
Spain's big question Mar 9, 2008
"But we say, Mr Rajoy, what do you mean by integrating? Which customs, which habits? Are they Andalusian ones or Catalan ones or Basque ones? Do they mean eating a Spanish tortilla, sleeping a siesta? I have no idea.". Spain itself is in the midst of great social change - - it's giving up the siesta, abandoning the old macho culture and embracing sexual minorities, changing its diet, accepting its multiple languages. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Behind the violence of Bieito's 'Flying Dutchman' Feb 21, 2008
And so it is with the Staatsoper Stuttgart's new production of "Der Fliegende Holl?nder" (The Flying Dutchman), which marks the Catalan director's first confrontation with Wagner. To be sure, the violence starts even before the overture is over. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
A yabby's fight to survive provides food for thought Feb 13, 2008
We're thinking breakfast, exploring the succulent options on offer in the Mercat de la Bouqueria (organic paella, calamari with crispy artichoke, champagne with fresh Catalan pastries). Wondering, for the umpteenth time, why Sydney sent the only decent produce market it had to death-by-suburbia. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
A cookbook to giveto your sweetie pie Dec 18, 2007
He shares that spirit here, while explaining the unique characteristics of Sardinian food (influences not only from Italian, but also Moorish, Catalan, Arabian and other cuisines). There are ample color photos of the land and the food, with more than 100 clearly written recipes from Farris, now a Texas restaurant owner. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
'Eros' takes Gijon prize Dec 4, 2007
vet Catalan Pere Portabellas rumination on the origins of contempo Euro culture. One of the most talked-about competition pics, Nicolas Klotzs Heartbeat Detector, which drew a provocative metaphor between the methods and language of the Holocaust and big business, nabbed an actor plaudit for Mathieu Amalric for his chilling perf as a downsizing guru. (Variety)
Soccer: Bojan shows he belongs in elite, others do not Nov 28, 2007
The boy is just 17 years and three months and, even though he was born to soccer, the son of a Serbian player and a Catalan nurse, it is still something remarkable to be on the field for the whole 90 minutes in front of a full Stade de Gerland where the home crowd wanted nothing but a Lyon victory ... He didn't say it was Ronaldinho, but he did talk on the Catalan channel TV3 of something external or personal troubling Ronaldinho. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
auctions: At bullish Christie's sale, contemporary works soar Nov 14, 2007
It was hyped to death in recent years through a series of museum shows from "The Catalan Spirit: Gaud? and His Contemporaries" at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York, in 1987, to the 2006-2007 traveling exhibition "Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaud?, Mir?," which started at the Cleveland Museum of Art and ended at the Metropolitan Museum, New York, last June ... has been celebrated with such insistence as the Catalan genius of Art Nouveau architecture that any piece of furniture designed by... (International Herald Tribune)
Spectres of fascist past back to haunt Spain Nov 7, 2007
"In Spain, reading history in school is like getting the Reader's Digest version of events," says Francesc Torres, a Catalan photographer ... Then the mood changes, slows, and reveals the human impact of the war with Capa's series on refugees bound for the French border as Catalan cities fell to Franco's troops, dragging their possessions. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Berlioz's 'Les Troyens' in a director's almost playful hands Nov 7, 2007
Carthage" was performed in his lifetime. In a traditional staging, the opera can seem static when performed in its entirety. Today in Culture That may have had something to do with why Schlmer chose to make roughly the first half of Part 2 a bit of a lighthearted oasis between the slaughter in Troy and the personal tragedy of the Carthaginian queen Dido, abandoned by Aeneas as he departs for Italy to fulfill his destiny. Jens Kilian's bilevel set includes glassed-in rooms below, one housing a... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Heaven on earth Oct 20, 2007
Gaud; is the genius of modernisme - not "modernism" as we now understand the word but a very different aesthetic, a distinctive Catalan version of art nouveau's florid response to the challenge of turn-of-the-century life ... Hundreds of years earlier, Barcelona had been the great sea port of the medieval land of Aragon, with its own language and a Catalan cultural identity that spilled over into France ... Dal;, proudly Catalan, claimed Gaud; as his true inspiration, and adored the "terrifying... (Guardian Unlimited)
Lost in translation Oct 19, 2007
It's late Friday night, and I'm in a taxi with a bunch of Catalans, desperately seeking a salsa club. We're taking refuge from a party Catalan officials are hosting in their capacity as this year's guest of honor at Frankfurt's renowned book fair ... In preparation for the book fair, many Catalan organizations spent months preparing Catalan books in German; preparing their own books, brochures and pamphlets about Catalan culture and literature, and arranging numerous readings and Catalan... (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Infotainment Oct 13, 2007
Frankfurt Book FairFRANKFURT: Visitors look at a video installation featuring Catalan authors at the Catalan culture stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair. afp. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Read Article » Oct 8, 2007
Seeking Columbus's origins, with a swab - International Herald Tribune. Seeking Columbus's origins, with a swab DNA analysis may help solve a long-running dispute between those who would claim alternative bragging rights to Christopher Columbus. (International Herald Tribune)
Catalonia's co-productions thriving Sep 27, 2007
Barcelonans have reason to cheer as more foreign helmers set up show in the Catalan capital, including Tom Tykwer (for 'Perfume') ... No. It was Woody Allen in a fisherman's hat, at July's presentation of his Spanish shoot in Catalan capital Barcelona ... Toplining Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, Allen's untitled film is a Catalan co-production. (Variety)
Vantage Point: In Beijing, future is both bright and foggy Aug 15, 2007
The Olympics are always sponsored by one city, demonstrating Catalan pride or Australian culture to the world, but the Beijing Games will be a more cosmic harbinger of where the world is going in the next century or three. Take pollution, for example. (International Herald Tribune)
Spanish writers snub invite to Frankfurt Book Fair in spat over Catalan nationalism Aug 8, 2007
BARCELONA, Spain: When the Frankfurt Book Fair took the rare step of inviting a region rather than a country to showcase its literary talent, Catalonia picked writers who publish only in Catalan the language of this proud patch of northeast Spain that considers itself a nation within a nation ... He blamed "political commissars who eagerly took over and handled this affair and who decided what kind of image of Catalonia they wanted to project, mostly to their own Catalan constituents, who are... (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Barcelona wont unleash strike trio against Beijing Guoan Aug 4, 2007
The Catalan clubs last trip to China three years was disappointing, however, with their pre-season match against Shanghai International attracting a sparse crowd. Argentinas Lionel Messi did not travel to Asia with the squad to give him more time to rest after his Copa America exertions. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Parc Guell: Antoni Gaudi's Utopia Aug 3, 2007
Built to revive Catalan culture and yet encourage modernity, Gaudi designed the park as a residential complex on the Pelada mountainside far from the bustle of the city. Based on Gaudi s architecture and design, Parc Guell took 14 years to build. (Suite101.com)
Tyler Brûlé: The ordeal of getting through security Jul 20, 2007
In the Catalan version of the airport security check you have to take off as many articles of clothing as possible, fill up as many plastic bins as you can balance in one arm while towing a wheely suitcase in the other and then deposit all of them on a conveyor belt. Just when you think you've crossed the finish line, you have to then take off your shoes, belt and all other heavy objects and repeat the process with the bins. (International Herald Tribune -- Travel)
Music fest is a feast Jul 13, 2007
"When the festival was launched, it had a $320,000 budget. Now, it has a $3.8 million budget.While the 16-day festival continues to star the London Symphony Orchestra, there's no doubt it has grown to be a global stage for music.Tonight's opening performance is Hungary's gypsy jazz violinist Roby Lakatos and band. Having performed throughout the world, Lakatos is known for his lightning-fast virtuoso violin.This year, Fado fans should flock to hear Portugal songstress Mariza perform. Italy's... (Florida Today)
Barcelona: Leading a stateless nation Jun 16, 2007
The city's main square, Placa Catalunya, is the center of the world for 7 million Catalan people, a lively scene throughout the day. The square is decorated with statues honoring important Catalans ... Even Barcelona's ATMs are in solidarity with the European family of "Stateless Nations." They offer the correct choice of languages: Along with Angles, Frances, and Castella (Spanish), you'll always find Gallec, Euskera and Catalan. (CNN)
An art show in Kassel, Germany, rivals Venice Biennale Jun 13, 2007
at the Documenta 12 exhibition this year, where the trendsetting Catalan chef will be displaying his talents. (He compares his culinary deconstructions to the work of Picasso. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Steves: Spain's Second City Jun 10, 2007
" They offer the correct choice of languages: Along with angls (English), francs (French) and castella (Spanish), you'll always find gallec (Galician), euskera (Basque) and catal (Catalan). Even though there's likely not a person a year who would speak only Galician (from Galicia in northwest Spain) or Basque (from the region in Spain and France), they give them the linguistic respect they would hope for in a foreign land. Each Sunday, Barcelonans gather in front of their cathedral to dance... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Flags Fly At Half-Staff In Honor Of LA Soldier Killed In Iraq Jun 6, 2007
Romel Catalan died Saturday from wounds he suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Ameriyah. "Our nation has suffered a great loss with the death of Specialist Romel Catalan. Romel's bravery and devotion to his country and loved ones will be greatly missed but never forgotten," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said ... Catalan was assigned to the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, Wash. (NBC4.tv, CA)
Wooten: Who wins on immigration? May 24, 2007
FYI to you, the spanish spoken in europe is castillian, catalan or basque. As a matter of fact, many don t unerstand latin american spanish and have to have it interpreted to them. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Sensational villa vacations May 16, 2007
Can JuliaThis restored 18th-century Catalan masia is built on a hillside on the base of the Pyreenes. It boasts eight bedrooms, each with its own bath. (MSNBC -- Travel)
A bullish mood prevails at Christie's sale of Impressionist and Modern art May 11, 2007
"Le pot de g?ranium" painted by Juan Gris in 1915 is a Cubist composition done in the decorative, highly colored style of the Catalan artist. On its previous auction appearance at Sotheby's New York in May 2002, the Gris had cost its consignor $8. (International Herald Tribune)
Catalonia Funds Local-Language Pornography to Promote Cultural Identity May 3, 2007
Son, an actor and director of ``erotic'' works, won a 15,000-euro ($20,360) grant to dub and promote his latest opus, ``The Sea is Not Blue,'' into the local language as part of a program to encourage broader use of Catalan. Although the subsidy is a minuscule part of the 275 million euro budget for spreading Catalan culture, the payment has triggered outrage among newspapers and politicians who demand that the regional government stop supporting porn ... It's good for us to have our own... (Bloomberg)
* Tunnel sparks fears for Gaudi masterpiece Apr 27, 2007
Last week, the mayor of Barcelona, the Catalan premier and the public works ministry approved the plan, which awaits an environmental impact review by the national government, according to a city spokesman. "This is an attack on culture of the highest order, something one would only expect of a third-world country.". (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Fears for Gaudi masterpiece as rail tunnel approved Apr 26, 2007
Last week, the mayor of Barcelona, the Catalan premier and the public works ministry approved the plan, which awaits an environmental impact review by the national government, according to a city spokesman. The city of Barcelona wants to build the rail tunnel to provide a high-speed link between Madrid and Barcelona, and on to France. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Name the Early-20th-Century Artist Apr 15, 2007
Thus, Dali's native tongue was Catalan; he also learned Spanish and French while he was young ... In fact, no matter where he traveled in the world, he would often wear a traditional Catalan hat. (Suite101.com)
Moved by spirits: Cuba's musical legends still alive in today's music Apr 15, 2007
He was an elite rather than a popular figure, a cabaret stylist known for sophisticated, ironic patter, subtle musical interpretation, a repertoire that included songs in French, English, Catalan and Italian. He had an international circle of friends that included artists like Spanish classical guitarist Andr;s Segovia and Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. (The Miami Herald)
A chaotic view of Catalonia, saved by Picasso's genius Apr 7, 2007
In a chapter in "Barcelona and Modernity" you hear about "the origins of Catalonia as a political entity often traced to Wilfred the Hairy (d. 897)" and the emergence of the Catalan language in the 9th century. The authors, William Robinson and Carmen Belen Lord, remind you of the union of Catalonia and Aragon in 1137, of the establishment of the Catalan Cortes in Barcelona in 1282, "one of the oldest parliaments in Europe," and a lot more. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
No matter where you're from,Criolla's is sure to delight your senses Apr 1, 2007
That explains the section of tapas and the Catalan duck risotto ($12) listed under the small plates. The rice was blended with manchego cheese Madeira wine reduction sauce and seasoned with fine herbs. (Orlando Sentinel -- Entertainment)
Surreal deal: where to see Dali Mar 31, 2007
Based at the Hotel Duran in Figueres, you visit the Castillo Perelada and Espelt wineries and two famous local restaurants - Carlos Antoner and Hotel Emporda, pioneers in giving local Catalan dishes an innovative twist long before El Bulli came along and stole the crown. From pounds 535 for three nights' B&B at Hotel Duran and tapas and wine on the first night. (Guardian Unlimited -- Travel)
- Robert Hughes on Surrealism Mar 24, 2007
By the time James and his Catalan friend Dal; were through with it (not that it was ever "finished"), it had become one of the strangest houses in 20th-century England, its outside covered in purple stucco, with faux-bamboo downpipes and, inside, wall-to-wall carpet woven with the menacing paw-prints of James's pack of wolfhounds. Mother Nature made her appearance in such forms as a standing lamp made of a python, which James p;re had shot on one of his African safaris, and a fully grown,... (Guardian Unlimited)
New archaeological findings on political power in Peru Mar 23, 2007
The "Proyecto La Puntilla" is funded by the General Directorate for Fine Arts and Cultural Assets of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and by the Catalan Department of Education and Universities. The project is also recognised by the National Institute for Culture of Peru. (EurekAlert!)
Vive le Scotland libre? Mar 17, 2007
Designed by a Catalan architect heavily influenced by the surrealists, the three-year-old Scottish Parliament does not contain a single straight line or matching wall ... Bretons and Basques in France, Lombards and Sicilians in Italy and Catalans in Spain have all discovered that (for now) they can have a distinct voice without a nation. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Europe is not the sum of its parts Mar 14, 2007
The Catholic monarchs imposed the Castilian language on the fractious Iberian tribes, without complete success, as the survival of philological relics such as Catalan and Galician makes clear. Why is there a Germany, and not merely a Brandenburg, Bavaria, Franconia, Swabia and Hanseatic League. (Asia Times Online)
Shattered Spain's scars won't heal Mar 11, 2007
Under Franco, Basque and Catalan independence groups were firmly suppressed ... Proud Madrileos complain they feel like foreigners in their own land when visiting the regions, where street signs and announcements are printed in Catalan or Basque first and the language is given priority over Castilian. (Scotsman)
Wooten: Bulldoze public housing Feb 16, 2007
Maybe you can round up some fellow hooligans and run some Catalans into a wall especially if they do the unthinkable and speak in Spanish to you ... BTW dickbrain Catalans usually proudly 000003E6 speak Catalan ... Obviously you forget that Barcelona is a bilingual city where the locals can speak both Catalan and Castillian, no matter whether one or the other is their first language. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
No relief for Real Jan 20, 2007
The Catalan giants suffered their biggest defeat of the season in any competition when they lost 3-1 at local rivals Espanyol last Saturday but it would be at least double the shock if they were to go down at home to bottom club Gimnastic Tarragona tomorrow. AFP. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Musagetes Foundation launched in Montreal Jan 18, 2007
The London Caf; will bring together some 20 eminent artists and cultural leaders, including British singer and political activist Billy Bragg; Jordi Pascual, a Catalan expert on cultural policy; and David Buckland, a designer, filmmaker, and director of the Cape Farewell Project on climate change, as well as Simon Brault and Jocelyn Harvey as co-hosts. The Foundation's future The Foundation hopes that the benefits of the Musagetes Caf;s will create a ripple effect and that these recurring local... (Canada Newswire)
MSU prof from Britain offers a lesson in diversity, in and out of classroom Jan 16, 2007
There's a language on the Spanish east coast called Catalan, which only about seven million people speak. I speak this language, also. (Columbus Commercial Dispatch, MS)
Spanish lessonsNew arrivals struggle for acceptance in nationalist Catalonia Jan 4, 2007
Catalans grapple with migrant influx ... Nationalists are worried immigrants will dilute their Catalan identity ... Last November, he became the only Muslim MP elected to the Catalan Parliament - a unique event in the region and in Spain. (BBC News -- Europe)
